IMAGE: Entertainment media like Game of Thrones, House of Cards or the Avenger movie series can affect our political beliefs in ways we aren’t aware of, according to a new book…. view more
Credit: Brian Jenkins
Are you a fan of the HBO series “Game of Thrones”? What about the Avengers film franchise? Maybe you love “House of Cards” on Netflix or the “Hunger Games” movies?
As it turns out, you’re not just enjoying these shows – or any entertainment that absorbs your attention and allows you to temporarily escape the real world. You’re also shaping your political viewpoint, often unwittingly, as you watch them.
So says Anthony Gierzynski, professor and chair of the political science department at The University of Vermont, in his latest book, “The Political Effects of Entertainment Media: How Fictional Worlds Affect Real World Political Perspectives” (August 2018, Rowman & Littlefield). In the book, released Aug. 15, Gierzynski argues that the content people consume for fun plays a serious role in their attitudes about social justice, crime and terrorism, tolerance and diversity, the benefits or dangers of technology, and the characteristics of leadership.
“The unique state of mind that occurs when we are transported by stories and identify with characters makes fictional stories (perhaps especially those most disconnected from our current reality, such as fantasy and science fiction) a more potent agent of political learning than overt attempts to teach politically relevant values,” he writes.
The book is one of few in academic research to explore the connection between popular entertainment and political beliefs. It expands on Gierzynski’s 2013 book, “Harry Potter and the Millennials: Research Methods and the Politics of the Muggle Generation,” which found that the books and films about the boy wizard influenced the political perspectives of those who grew up with them.
Research for the new book took place before the 2016 presidential election, but the subject is all the more relevant in today’s polarized political environment.
With greater awareness of the influence of entertainment, Gierzynski says, people might recognize that they aren’t as rational…
